| 1. |
- Stedt, Kristoffer, 1991, et al.
(author)
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Post-harvest cultivation with seafood process waters improves protein levels of Ulva fenestrata while retaining important food sensory attributes
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Seaweed aquaculture can provide the growing human population with a sustainable source of proteins. Sea-based cultivation is an effective method for farming seaweeds on a large scale and can yield high biomass output. However, the quality and biochemical composition of the biomass is seasonally dependent, which limits the harvests to certain periods of the year. Here we show the possibility to extend the sea-based cultivation season of Ulva fenestrata when aiming for high protein levels, by post-harvest treatment in herring production process waters. We harvested U. fenestrata at an optimal period in terms of yield, but suboptimal in terms of protein content. We then cultivated the seaweed in onshore tank systems with the nutrient-rich process waters for 14 days. We monitored biomass yield, crude protein content, amino acid composition, and content of the health concerning metals arsenic, mercury, lead, and cadmium, as well as the sensory properties of the dried biomass. After cultivation in the process waters, biomass yields were 30 - 40% higher (210 – 230 g fresh weight) compared to in seawater (160 g fresh weight). Also, the crude protein and amino acid content increased three to five times in the process waters, reaching 12 - 17 and 15 – 21% dry weight, respectively. The protein enriched biomass followed food graded standards for heavy metal content, and consumption of the biomass does not exceed health based reference points. Additionally, no sensory attributes regarded as negative were found. This rapid, post-harvest treatment can help extend the cultivation season of sea-based seaweed farms, maximizing their output of sustainable proteins.
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| 2. |
- A. Bateki, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Of milk and mobiles: Assessing the potential of cellphone applications to reduce cattle milk yield gaps in Africa using a case study
- 2021
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In: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1699. ; 191
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There are growing expectations that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications could help improve on-farm yields amongst smallholder farmers in developing countries, and consequently, food and nutrition security. However, few studies have quantified the actual contribution of ICT applications on farmers’ yields, and these studies predominantly focused on crop production. We assessed the potential of ICT applications to close milk yield gaps among small- and medium scale dairy cattle farmers in Africa. First, we developed a theoretical framework summarizing biophysical and socio-economic constraints that foster milk yield gaps and discussed which constraints can be addressed using ICT applications. Second, using a case study of a feeding advice application for dairy cattle pre-tested with farmers in rural Kenya, we analyzed how much stand-alone the application could contribute to close dairy cattle milk yield gaps. Our findings suggest that ICT applications could help address some existing biophysical and socio-economic constraints fostering milk yield gaps, including data collection for breeding programs, feeding management advice, and facilitating access to markets and capital. Our stand-alone ICT application closed yield gaps by 2 % to 6 % on representative farms. Several factors may explain the limited actual contribution of selected ICT applications to reduce existing milk yield gaps, including the quality of the input data and models used in ICT applications, and more structural constraints that cannot be addressed by digital tools. Therefore, although ICT applications could help address constraints to achieving higher milk yields on dairy farms, a significant contribution to improve yields may only be achieved when conditions surrounding their use are adequate.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Steinhagen, Sophie, et al.
(author)
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Harvest time can affect the optimal yield and quality of sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata) in a sustainable sea-based cultivation : Seasonal Cultivation of Ulva fenestrata
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Seaweed biomass is a renewable resource with multiple applications. Sea-based cultivation of seaweeds can provide high biomass yields, low construction, operation, and maintenance costs and could offer an environmentally and economically sustainable alternative to land-based cultivations. The biochemical profile of sea-grown biomass depends on seasonal variation in environmental factors, and the optimization of harvest time is important for the quality of the produced biomass. To identify optimal harvest times of Swedish sea-based cultivated sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata), this study monitored biomass yield, morphology, chemical composition, fertility, and biofouling at five different harvesting times in April - June 2020. The highest biomass yields (approx. 1.2 kg fw [m rope]-1) were observed in late spring (May). The number and size of holes in the thalli and the amount of fertile and fouled tissue increased with prolonged growth season, which together led to a significant decline in both biomass yield and quality during summer (June). Early spring (April) conditions were optimal for obtaining high fatty acid, protein, biochar, phenolic, and pigment contents in the biomass, whereas carbohydrate and ash content, as well as essential and non-essential elements, increased later in the growth season. Our study results show that the optimal harvest time of sea-based cultivated U. fenestrata depends on the downstream application of the biomass and must be carefully selected to balance yield, quality, and desired biochemical contents to maximize the output of future sea-based algal cultivations in the European Northern Hemisphere.
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| 5. |
- Crous, P. W., et al.
(author)
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Fusarium : more than a node or a foot-shaped basal cell
- 2021
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In: Studies in mycology. - : CENTRAALBUREAU SCHIMMELCULTURE. - 0166-0616 .- 1872-9797. ; :98
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent publications have argued that there are potentially serious consequences for researchers in recognising distinct genera in the terminal fusarioid clade of the family Nectriaceae. Thus, an alternate hypothesis, namely a very broad concept of the genus Fusarium was proposed. In doing so, however, a significant body of data that supports distinct genera in Nectriaceae based on morphology, biology, and phylogeny is disregarded. A DNA phylogeny based on 19 orthologous protein-coding genes was presented to support a very broad concept of Fusarium at the F1 node in Nectriaceae. Here, we demonstrate that re-analyses of this dataset show that all 19 genes support the F3 node that represents Fusarium sensu stricto as defined by F. sambucinum (sexual morph synonym Gibberella pulicaris). The backbone of the phylogeny is resolved by the concatenated alignment, but only six of the 19 genes fully support the F1 node, representing the broad circumscription of Fusarium. Furthermore, a re-analysis of the concatenated dataset revealed alternate topologies in different phylogenetic algorithms, highlighting the deep divergence and unresolved placement of various Nectriaceae lineages proposed as members of Fusarium. Species of Fusarium s. str. are characterised by Gibberella sexual morphs, asexual morphs with thin- or thick-walled macroconidia that have variously shaped apical and basal cells, and trichothecene mycotoxin production, which separates them from other fusarioid genera. Here we show that the Wollenweber concept of Fusarium presently accounts for 20 segregate genera with clear-cut synapomorphic traits, and that fusarioid macroconidia represent a character that has been gained or lost multiple times throughout Nectriaceae. Thus, the very broad circumscription of Fusarium is blurry and without apparent synapomorphies, and does not include all genera with fusarium-like macroconidia, which are spread throughout Nectriaceae (e.g., Cosmosporella, Macroconia, Microcera). In this study four new genera are introduced, along with 18 new species and 16 new combinations. These names convey information about relationships, morphology, and ecological preference that would otherwise be lost in a broader definition of Fusarium. To assist users to correctly identify fusarioid genera and species, we introduce a new online identification database, Fusarioid-ID, accessible at www.fusarium.org. The database comprises partial sequences from multiple genes commonly used to identify fusarioid taxa (act1, CaM, his3, rpb1, rpb2, tef1, tub2, ITS, and LSU). In this paper, we also present a nomenclator of names that have been introduced in Fusarium up to January 2021 as well as their current status, types, and diagnostic DNA barcode data. In this study, researchers from 46 countries, representing taxonomists, plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, and students, strongly support the application and use of a more precisely delimited Fusarium (= Gibberella) concept to accommodate taxa from the robust monophyletic node F3 on the basis of a well-defined and unique combination of morphological and biochemical features. This F3 node includes, among others, species of the F. fujikuroi, F. incarnatum-equiseti, F. oxysporum, and F. sambucinum species complexes, but not species of Bisifusarium [F. dimerum species complex (SC)], Cyanonectria (F. buxicola SC), Geejayessia (F. staphyleae SC), Neocosmospora (F. solani SC) or Rectifusarium (F. ventricosum SC). The present study represents the first step to generating a new online monograph of Fusarium and allied fusarioid genera (www.fusarium.org).
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| 6. |
- Munthe, Christian, 1962
(author)
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Djurhållning och antibiotika: en gyllene triangel!
- 2023
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In: Tidskriften Alba. - 1403-5448. ; :2023-10-24
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- För ett par veckor sedan var jag i Amsterdam och talade om etiska dilemman och utmaningar i arbetet med antibiotikaresistens i djurhållning och veterinärmedicin på en konferens. ”Från fabrik till gödselstack” var devisen för mitt bidrag, för att framhålla att djurhållningens användning av antibiotika – precis som sjukvårdens – är en del av en större helhet, där även produktionssystemen för läkemedel och mat (och friska djur och människor), och naturmiljön ingår. Varje del både bidrar till utmaningen med resistens – att vår användning och hantering av dessa viktiga mediciner gör dem obrukbara – och utgör löften för att sätta in åtgärder som kan mildra problemet. Alla sådana åtgärder kommer samtidigt ha nackdelar och kostnader – därav behovet att analysera etiken. På konferensen fick jag också chans att förkovra mig i olika slags forskning om hur jordbruk och annan djurhållning kan hantera antibiotikaresistensen bättre. Jag lärde mig då att området utgör en riktig gyllene triangel – på gott och ont.
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| 7. |
- Sandin, Per, et al.
(author)
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Technology Neutrality in European Regulation of GMOs
- 2022
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In: Ethics, Policy & Environment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2155-0085 .- 2155-0093. ; 1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objections to the current EU regulatory system on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in terms of high cost and lack of consistency, speed and scientific underpinning have prompted proposals for a more technology-neutral system. We sketch the conceptual background of the notion of ‘technology neutrality’ and propose a refined definition of the term. The proposed definition implies that technology neutrality of a regulatory system is a gradual and multidimensional feature. We use the definition to analyze two regulatory reform proposals: One proposal from the Netherlands for improving the exemption mechanism for GMOs under Directive 2001/18/EC, and one from the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board, outlining a new stratified risk assessment procedure. While both proposals offer some degree of improved technology neutrality in some dimensions compared to current EU regulation, in some extents and dimensions, they do not. We conclude that proposals for more technology-neutral regulation of GMOs need, first, to make explicit to what extent and in what dimensions the proposal improves neutrality and, second, to present arguments supporting that these specific improvements constitute desirable policy change against the background of objections to current policy.
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| 8. |
- Wolters, S., et al.
(author)
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Upscaling proximal sensor N-uptake predictions in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with Sentinel-2 satellite data for use in a decision support system
- 2021
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In: Precision Agriculture. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1385-2256 .- 1573-1618. ; 22, s. 1263-1283
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Total nitrogen (N) content in aboveground biomass (N-uptake) in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as measured in a national monitoring programme was scaled up to full spatial coverage using Sentinel-2 satellite data and implemented in a decision support system (DSS) for precision agriculture. Weekly field measurements of N-uptake had been carried out using a proximal canopy reflectance sensor (handheld Yara N-Sensor) during 2017 and 2018. Sentinel-2 satellite data from two processing levels (top-of-atmosphere reflectance, L1C, and bottom-of-atmosphere reflectance, L2A) were extracted and related to the proximal sensor data (n = 251). The utility of five vegetation indices for estimation of N-uptake was compared. A linear model based on the red-edge chlorophyll index (CI) provided the best N-uptake prediction (L1C data: r2 = 0.74, mean absolute error; MAE = 14kgha−1) when models were applied on independent sites and dates. Use of L2A data, rather than L1C, did not improve the prediction models. The CI-based prediction model was applied on all fields in an area with intensive winter wheat production. Statistics on N-uptake at the end of the stem elongation growth stage were calculated for 4169 winter wheat fields > 5ha. Within-field variation in predicted N-uptake was > 30kgNha−1 in 62% of these fields. Predicted N-uptake was compared against N-uptake maps derived from tractor-borne Yara N-Sensor measurements in 13 fields (1.7–30ha in size). The model based on satellite data generated similar information as the tractor-borne sensing data (r2 = 0.81; MAE = 7kgha−1), and can therefore be valuable in a DSS for variable-rate N application. © 2021, The Author(s).
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| 9. |
- Adu-Baffour, Ferdinand, et al.
(author)
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Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study
- 2021
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In: Land Use Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-8377. ; 102
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) sector – commonly described as low-tech, labor-intensive mineral extraction and processing, in developing countries, is increasingly associated with the use of heavy earth moving machines and hazardous chemicals for ore extraction, which can have negative implications on agricultural land use and the environment. Moreover, land reclamation, or the lack thereof, associated with ASM is a rising concern. Despite the potentially far-reaching effects of informal ASM operations on the environment and human health, the legal framework for ASM, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries, is not well implemented. Focusing on Ghana as a study case, this paper explores the factors that hinder the implementation of its legal framework for mining. A combination of qualitative explorative methods was applied, including an innovative tool called “Process Net-Map”, a visual participatory mapping technique. The results help to explain the governance challenges of the ASM sector, enabling identification of policy reform options to address them. The findings exposed outdated legislature, which fails to capture the ever-growing complexities of the subsector's operations, as a major bottleneck. Hurdles associated with formal licensing bureaucracies and fees, land tenure, compliance monitoring, and ineffective collaboration of relevant stakeholders with and at the local level were identified as hindering the implementation of the existing legal framework. These bottlenecks must be addressed. Moreover, we recommend the adoption of collaborative governance systems, like co-management, which has been successfully implemented in other disciplines, in the ASM sector to ensure sustainability.
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| 10. |
- Benktander, John, et al.
(author)
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Gill Mucus and Gill Mucin O-glycosylation in Healthy and Amebic Gill Disease-Affected Atlantic Salmon.
- 2020
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In: Microorganisms. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-2607. ; 8:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amoebic gill disease (AGD) causes poor performance and death in salmonids. Mucins are mainly comprised by carbohydrates and are main components of the mucus covering the gill. Since glycans regulate pathogen binding and growth, glycosylation changes may affect susceptibility to primary and secondary infections. We investigated gill mucin O-glycosylation from Atlantic salmon with and without AGD using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Gill mucin glycans were larger and more complex, diverse and fucosylated than skin mucins. Confocal microscopy revealed that fucosylated mucus coated sialylated mucus strands in ex vivo gill mucus. Terminal HexNAcs were more abundant among O-glycans from AGD-affected Atlantic salmon, whereas core 1 structures and structures with acidic moieties such as N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc) and sulfate groups were less abundant compared to non-infected fish. The fucosylated and NeuAc-containing O-glycans were inversely proportional, with infected fish on the lower scale of NeuAc abundance and high on fucosylated structures. The fucosylated epitopes were of three types: Fuc-HexNAc-R, Gal-[Fuc-]HexNAc-R and HexNAc-[Fuc-]HexNAc-R. These blood group-like structures could be an avenue to diversify the glycan repertoire to limit infection in the exposed gills. Furthermore, care must be taken when using skin mucus as proxy for gill mucus, as gill mucins are distinctly different from skin mucins.
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